Patent application title: AUDIO HEADSET ASSEMBLY WITH BUILT-IN JACK

Abstract:

Provided are, among other things, a variety of different audio headset
assemblies. According to one embodiment, an audio headset assembly
includes: a plug configured to mate with an audio device jack; an audio
headset; a cord that electrically couples the plug to the audio headset;
and a jack that (1) is integrated with at least one of the audio headset,
the cord or the plug, (2) is configured to mate with a second plug, and
(3) has electrodes electrically coupled to corresponding electrodes of
the plug.

Claims:

1. An audio headset assembly, comprising:a plug configured to mate with an
audio device jack;an audio headset;a cord that electrically couples the
plug to the audio headset; anda jack that (1) is integrated with at least
one of the audio headset, the cord or the plug, (2) is configured to mate
with a second plug, and (3) has electrodes electrically coupled to
corresponding electrodes of the plug.

2. An audio headset assembly according to claim 1, wherein the second plug
is identical to the plug.

3. An audio headset assembly according to claim 1, wherein the jack is
integrated with the plug.

4. An audio headset assembly according to claim 3, wherein the jack is
coaxially aligned with the plug.

5. An audio headset assembly according to claim 1, wherein the cord
includes a dividing point at which left and right audio signals are
separated into different branches, and wherein the jack is integrated
with the cord at the dividing point.

6. An audio headset assembly according to claim 1, wherein the plug, the
cord, the jack and the audio headset are all permanently attached to each
other.

7. An audio headset assembly according to claim 1, wherein the audio
headset is a stereo headset.

8. An audio headset assembly according to claim 1, wherein the audio
headset comprises a microphone.

9. An audio headset assembly according to claim 1, wherein the audio
headset is a telephone headset.

10. An audio headset assembly, comprising:a plug configured to mate with
an audio device jack and, upon said mating, to receive an electrical
audio signal from the audio device;a headset, including a transducer that
converts the electrical signal into output audio;a cord extending from
the plug to the headset, for conveying the electrical signal from the
plug to the headset; anda headset assembly jack, integrated with at least
one of the headset, the cord or the plug, and configured to accept a
second plug and thereby supply at least a portion of the electrical
signal to the second plug.

11. An audio headset assembly according to claim 10, wherein the second
plug is identical to the plug.

12. An audio headset assembly according to claim 10, wherein the headset
assembly jack is integrated with the plug.

13. An audio headset assembly according to claim 12, wherein the headset
assembly jack is coaxially aligned with the plug.

14. An audio headset assembly according to claim 10, wherein the cord
includes a dividing point at which left and right audio signals are
separated into different branches, and wherein the headset assembly jack
is integrated with the cord at the dividing point.

15. An audio headset assembly according to claim 10, wherein the plug, the
cord, the headset assembly jack and the headset are all permanently
attached to each other.

16. An audio headset assembly according to claim 10, wherein the headset
is a stereo headset.

17. An audio headset assembly according to claim 10, wherein the headset
comprises a microphone.

18. An audio headset assembly according to claim 10, wherein the headset
is a telephone headset.

Description:

[0001]This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent
Application Ser. No. 61/023,057, filed on Jan. 23, 2008, and also titled
"Audio Headset Assembly with Built-In Jack", which application is
incorporated by reference herein as though set forth herein in full.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

[0002]The present invention pertains to audio headset assemblies, such as
assemblies that include any or all of: a computer headset, a telephone
headset, a monaural headphone and/or stereo headphones.

BACKGROUND

[0003]Conventionally, if a user of a personal electronic device such as a
CD player, DVD player, laptop computer, iPod® or other MP3 player,
cordless telephone, wireless telephone (e.g., cellular-based), voice
recorder or other device that provides audio output and/or accepts audio
input wished to share the audio portion of a program through the use of
headsets, or wished to speak together into a single audio device, the
user would have had to purchase (or otherwise obtain) an appropriate
audio splitter. Then both users would plug their headsets into the jacks
of the audio splitter. If three or more users wished to listen or
participate, it typically would have been necessary to purchase (or
otherwise acquire) three splitters and plug them together in tree
fashion. If the user did not have the required splitter(s) on hand, there
often would not have been a way to share the audio with other users,
except possibly by using a provided loudspeaker, and that solution often
either is not available or is not appropriate for particular
circumstances.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0004]The present invention addresses this problem by providing headset
assemblies that have integrated jacks, e.g., for allowing another user to
plug in and share the audio signal.

[0005]Thus, one embodiment of the invention is directed to an audio
headset assembly that includes: a plug configured to mate with an audio
device jack; an audio headset; a cord that electrically couples the plug
to the audio headset; and a jack that (1) is integrated with at least one
of the audio headset, the cord or the plug, (2) is configured to mate
with a second plug, and (3) has electrodes electrically coupled to
corresponding electrodes of the plug.

[0006]Another embodiment is directed to an audio headset assembly that
includes: a plug configured to mate with an audio device jack and, upon
such mating, to receive an electrical audio signal from the audio device;
a headset, including a transducer that converts the electrical signal
into output audio; a cord extending from the plug to the headset, for
conveying the electrical signal from the plug to the headset; and a
headset assembly jack, integrated with at least one of the headset, the
cord or the plug, and configured to accept a second plug and thereby
supply at least a portion of the electrical signal to the second plug.

[0007]As a result of integrating a jack into a headset assembly in either
of the foregoing ways, it often is possible to avoid having to use a
splitter in order to share an audio signal. In addition, by minimizing
the number of temporary (e.g., plug-in) electrical connections, it often
is possible to improve the resulting signal quality.

[0008]The foregoing summary is intended merely to provide a brief
description of certain aspects of the invention. A more complete
understanding of the invention can be obtained by referring to the claims
and the following detailed description of the preferred embodiments in
connection with the accompanying figures.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0009]In the following disclosure, the invention is described with
reference to the attached drawings. However, it should be understood that
the drawings merely depict certain representative and/or exemplary
embodiments and features of the present invention and are not intended to
limit the scope of the invention in any manner. The following is a brief
description of each of the attached drawings.

[0010]FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view of a plug/jack assembly with a plug
inserted into the jack portion.

[0011]FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of the portion of a headset
assembly cord at which a jack is integrated, with a plug inserted into
the jack.

[0012]FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a headset assembly that includes an
integrated plug/jack assembly.

[0013]FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a headset assembly having a jack
integrated into its cord at the point at which the cord divides into left
and right audio channel branches.

[0014]FIG. 5 is a perspective view of a headset assembly having a jack
integrated into the headset portion.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT(S)

[0015]The present invention typically can eliminate the need for audio
splitters in situations in which one wishes to share audio with another.
More specifically, the present invention provides, among other things, a
headset assembly that includes a plug that can be inserted into a
compatible audio device (or into the jack of another headset assembly
according to the present invention) and also includes a jack for
accepting the plug of another headset assembly. The referenced jack can
be located, e.g., at the plug of the first headset assembly, at its
left/right (L/R) channel separator, at any other location along the
headset assembly's cord or within some portion of the headset itself. In
any event, this general configuration allows a second user to insert his
or her headset plug (whether or not in accordance with the present
invention) into the jack of the inventive headset assembly which, in
turn, plugs (either directly or indirectly) into an audio device that one
wishes to share.

[0016]As used herein, the term "audio device" means any device that is
capable of inputting and/or outputting an audio signal, and can include,
e.g., audiovisual devices. The term "headset" as used herein means any
audio transducer device that attaches to or is worn over some portion of
the user's head, and can include, e.g., a single earphone (i.e., in-ear,
with or without a wire loop or other mechanisms for securing the earphone
to the user's ear), a pair of earphones (for stereo), one or more
on-the-ear or over-the-ear headphones, a boom microphone and/or any other
types of microphones, headphones or earphones; in addition, a headset
according to the present invention can be passive (i.e., non-powered) or
active (e.g., battery-powered, such as a headset with noise-canceling
circuitry or circuitry for buffering, amplifying or combining microphone
signals from one or more headset assemblies).

[0017]As a result of using a headset assembly according to the present
invention, the user typically no longer needs to acquire and continuously
have available one or more audio splitters in order to have the ability
to share audio programming or audio capabilities of a single audio
device. Furthermore, each additional headset assembly in accordance with
the preferred embodiments of the present invention allows another headset
user (or other headset users) to join in, by simply daisy-chaining as
many headset assemblies as desired.

[0018]An example of a portion of a headset assembly according to the
present invention is shown in FIG. 1. In the present example, the headset
assembly includes an integrated plug/jack assembly and, for the most
part, only such integrated plug/jack assembly for the headset assembly is
illustrated in FIG. 1. More specifically, sectional views of an entire
plug/jack assembly 10 for a first headset assembly and of a portion of a
plug/jack assembly 30 for a second headset assembly are illustrated in
FIG. 1. As shown, plug/jack assembly 10 includes a plug 12 and a body (or
housing) portion 13, with the body portion 13 including a cavity 15 that
functions as a jack for accepting another plug through opening 16. In the
present case, plug 32 of plug assembly 30 is inserted into jack 15. As
used herein, the term "plug" refers to a male electrical connector and
the term "jack" refers to a female electrical connector.

[0019]In the present embodiment, plug 12 has three connection electrodes
17-19 and, similarly, the plug 32 has three connection electrodes 37-39.
Each of electrodes 17-19 is electrically connected (e.g., soldered,
formed as a unitary piece or otherwise permanently and/or securely
connected) to a corresponding jack electrode 47-49, respectively, which,
in turn, contacts corresponding plug connection electrodes 37-39,
respectively, when plug 32 is inserted into jack 15. In the preferred
embodiments, a corresponding wire 57-59 is soldered (or otherwise
permanently and/or securely connected) to each such common connection and
leads to the headset portion (not shown) of the headset assembly, exiting
from the side of plug/jack assembly 10.

[0020]The jack portion 15 of plug/jack assembly 10 preferably is
constructed using a steel (or other preferably conductive metal) tubular
housing in order to provide structural integrity, e.g., in the manner of
a conventional jack. Also similar to conventional jacks, the jack portion
15 of plug/jack assembly 10 can include insulating sleeves or other
insulators to prevent the various connection electrodes 47-49 and
associated electrical conductors from accidentally coming into contact
each other. As a result of this construction, plug 12 and jack 15 are
integrated with each other into a single assembly 10.

[0021]In the preferred embodiments, jack 15 is configured to accept a plug
that is identical to plug 12, so that any number of headset assemblies
that have the same plug assembly can be daisy-chained. However, it also
is possible to provide a jack that accepts a different kind and/or size
of plug than plug 12.

[0022]It is noted that in the present embodiment, jack 15 is coaxially
aligned with plug 12. This structure is believed to provide the best
physical integrity, to best facilitate daisy-chaining of multiple plugs
and to provide the smallest package for plug/jack assembly 10. However,
other configurations also are possible. For example, in one alternate
embodiment jack 15 is oriented at a right angle relative to plug 12.

[0023]A portion of a headset assembly according to another embodiment of
the invention is illustrated in FIG. 2. Here, a jack assembly 100 is
integrated with the left/right (L/R) channel separator, i.e., the point
at which the bundle of three wires 102 arriving from the headset assembly
plug (not shown) is divided into two pairs of wires 104 and 105 going to
the left and right headset transducers (not shown), respectively. In the
example shown in FIG. 2, a plug 122 from a different headset assembly is
inserted into the jack 115 of jack assembly 100 (through opening 113).

[0024]More preferably, the wires 102 are soldered (or otherwise
permanently and/or securely connected) to the three jack connection
electrodes 117-119 that correspond to the respective connection
electrodes the jack for the subject headset assembly (not shown). As a
result, when plug 122 is inserted into jack assembly 100 each of the
connection electrodes 127-129 for plug 122 are electrically connected to
the corresponding connection electrodes for the jack of the subject
headset assembly. The wires within branches 104 and 105 preferably are
permanently and/or securely attached either to the corresponding wires in
the main trunk 102 and/or to the respective jack connection electrodes
117-119. In other words, in the present embodiment jack assembly 100
preferably is fully integrated within the headset assembly cord, rather
than being temporarily connected to it or capable of being easily
disconnected from it.

[0025]One advantage of the configuration illustrated in FIG. 2 is that the
individual users who are sharing the audio device can be located
progressively further away from it, as opposed to the first embodiment
described above in which all of the users generally are required to be
congregated around the audio device at a maximum distance equal to the
length of the headset cord.

[0026]In addition to the stand-alone embodiments described above, aspects
of the foregoing embodiments can be combined into a single embodiment.
For example, in one embodiment one jack is included in the plug assembly,
and another jack is included in the L/R channel separator for a single
headset assembly.

[0027]More generally, a headset assembly according to the present
invention can include one or more jacks located at any position(s) from
and including the plug assembly to and including the headset itself,
provided that the necessary wires/signals are available at that position.
For example, if it is desired to include a stereo jack, then that jack
preferably is included at some position at or prior to where the wires
are divided into two separate stereo channel branches. On the other hand,
many headsets are monaural (e.g., with or without a microphone boom), in
which case a jack can be integrated into the audio plug, the cord between
the audio plug and the headset and/or the headset itself. A jack can also
be included after the wires corresponding to the left and right channels
have been separated, e.g., if only a single channel is desired to be
monitored (i.e., only a portion of the audio signal).

[0028]For ease of construction, it generally is preferred to incorporate
the headset jack(s) into the headset assembly's plug assembly or along
the headset assembly's cord. More preferably, the plug, cord, jack and
headset are all permanently attached to each other.

[0029]In addition to such a composite headset assembly, the present
invention also is directed to a composite plug/jack assembly, e.g., as
described above and/or as shown in FIG. 1, particularly where such an
assembly ultimately is connected to a headset. Still further, the present
invention also is directed to a jack assembly integrated into a headset
cord, e.g., as described above and/or as shown in FIG. 2.

[0030]One example of an entire headset assembly according to the present
invention is illustrated in FIG. 3. In this example, the headset 152
includes a right-channel over-the-ear headphone 153, a left-channel
over-the-ear headphone 154, connected together by a structure for
extending over the user's head, and a boom microphone 155. A plug/jack
assembly 160 includes both a plug 162 and a jack 165, (e.g., integrated
in the manner shown in FIG. 1) for receiving the electrical audio signal
output by jack 166 of an audio device, such as computer 167. Jack 165
accepts a plug 168 from another headset assembly, with plug 168
potentially being part of a plug/jack assembly 169 that is similar or
identical to plug/jack assembly 160, although plug 168 could instead be a
conventional audio plug.

[0031]A separate plug assembly 170 includes both a plug 172 and a jack
175, (again, e.g., integrated in the manner shown in FIG. 1) for plugging
into the microphone input jack 176 of audio device 167. Once again, jack
175 accepts a plug 178 from another headset assembly, with plug 178
potentially being part of a plug/jack assembly 179 that is similar or
identical to plug/jack assembly 170, although again plug 178 could
instead be a conventional microphone plug.

[0032]In the foregoing example, a first plug assembly 170 is used for the
audio signal from microphone 155, and a separate second plug assembly 160
is used for the audio signal driving headphones 153 and 154. However, in
alternate embodiments both such signals are accommodated by a single
plug/jack assembly. Also, in the present embodiment each of plugs 162 and
172 is part of a plug-jack assembly according to the present invention;
in alternate embodiments, only one such plug is part of such a plug/jack
assembly and the other is a conventional plug.

[0033]In the embodiments in which an audio signal (e.g., stereo or
monaural) is being provided from an audio device and shared among various
headset assemblies, the main consideration typically is whether the audio
device provides enough power to adequately drive all of the connected
headsets. Where microphone signals from multiple headset assemblies are
being combined, in addition to such drive-power considerations, there
sometimes is the additional concern of directly providing a microphone
signal to another microphone; accordingly, it sometimes is desirable in
such embodiments to use an analog buffer circuit or adder for combining
such different microphone signals.

[0034]A second example of an entire headset assembly 200 is illustrated in
FIG. 4. Here, the headset is implemented as a pair of in-ear stereo
headphones 202 and 204, and a jack 205 for accepting the plug 207 from a
different headset assembly is integrated into the cord 210 for headset
assembly 200 at the point at which cord 210 divides into separate
branches for the left and right audio signals (e.g., in the manner
discussed above in connection with FIG. 2). Accordingly, in this example,
the plug 215 can be configured identically to conventional stereo audio
plugs. In any event, the present plug 215 is configured for insertion
into an audio device such as MP3 player 220.

[0035]A third example of an entire headset assembly 250 is illustrated in
FIG. 5. In this example, headset assembly 250 includes a monaural
on-the-ear headphone 252 and a boom microphone 254, all within a
structure 253 for fitting over the user's head. Thus, in these respects
headset assembly 250 is similar to conventional cordless telephone
headsets, and even includes a plug 255 for plugging into an audio device,
such as cordless telephone 260. However, unlike conventional headset
assemblies, the headset portion of headset assembly 250 (in this case,
headphone 252) includes a jack 265 for receiving a plug 263 from another
headset assembly, so that at least a portion of the audio signal provided
to and/or generated by headset assembly 250 (e.g., only the audio signal
provided by cordless telephone 260) can be shared with a different
headset assembly.

Additional Considerations.

[0036]Several different embodiments of the present invention are described
above, with each such embodiment described as including certain features.
However, it is intended that the features described in connection with
the discussion of any single embodiment are not limited to that
embodiment but may be included and/or arranged in various combinations in
any of the other embodiments as well, as will be understood by those
skilled in the art.

[0037]Although the present invention has been described in detail with
regard to the exemplary embodiments thereof and accompanying drawings, it
should be apparent to those skilled in the art that various adaptations
and modifications of the present invention may be accomplished without
departing from the spirit and the scope of the invention. Accordingly,
the invention is not limited to the precise embodiments shown in the
drawings and described above. Rather, it is intended that all such
variations not departing from the spirit of the invention be considered
as within the scope thereof as limited solely by the claims appended
hereto.